#FatDuck is real

[becuzpurple]

Because Purple - Chapter 23:  Well & Truly

It’s finally done!!!!!

Since it’s been a while, I’ll summarize the last chapter:  It’s early February 2016.  Ed returned to Chicago.  Kate’s staying at his hotel with him for one night (her parents have the kids).  The plan is for them to meet the next day, which happens in this chapter.

The opening scene of this chapter takes place just a few hours after the last chapter ended.

I hope you like it!  Feedback is always very-much appreciated.  :-)

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Previous Chapter

WARNING:  some smuts occur

CHAPTER 23 – Well & Truly

 Saturday February 6, 2016 (early, early morning)

I awoke abruptly, in a bit of a sleep-fog.  I stayed still, and waited for my head to clear.  We seemed to have been sleeping like spoons, but I was the big spoon.  We were both laying on our right sides.  I was curled into Ed from behind, my left leg slung over his, and my left arm around his chest.  His back was my pillow.  We were still naked.  He was still asleep.

I couldn’t see a clock from where I was, but we must have been sleeping for only a few hours.  It was very dark, and I could feel the heavy silence of the night surrounding us.  The room was quiet and still.  Morning was hours away.

I don't know why I woke up.  

I lightly squeezed him in a hug and took a deep breath as I burrowed my cheek against his broad back.  He smelled good - like his soap - a subtle blend of citrus and spices - but also of sex.  Ed smelled like soap and sex.  I stifled a small giggle at that thought, and lightly kissed him between his shoulder blades before laying my cheek back down on him again.

He shifted, and I felt him take a deep breath.

I stilled, holding my breath, wondering if I woke him.  

A few seconds later he lay his hand over mine, which was still pressed to his chest.  He laced his fingers through mine and skimmed my open palm down his chest, then over his belly, and finally to his cock.

I closed my hand around him as he slowly guided me over his length a few times.  He otherwise didn’t move or make a sound, and I wondered how awake he actually was.

Once it was evident that I was willing and able to take over what he started, he moved his hand to my wrist.  He’d stopped controlling my movements, but he held me firmly.  It seemed to be a deliberate action, so I figured he must be more awake than not.

It was so dark in the room I could just barely see him right in front of me.  Because of our positioning, I couldn’t see what I was doing to him.  So, essentially, I had no sight.  I touched him blindly.

It was quiet, except for the occasional sounds of our breathing.  Neither of us spoke.  His scent was heavy around me.  My front was to his back, and we were naked, so nothing came between our bodies.  We were skin-to-skin.  We felt warm and snug and soft together.  Except for the part of his body I was holding in my hand - as smooth as his skin felt, it was definitely not soft any more.

I could only use my left hand, since my right arm was tucked up against the mattress and his back.  So, with my left arm reaching over his hips, and my hand fastened around him, I slowly stroked him from head to base, repeatedly, occasionally twisting my wrist and fluttering my fingertips.  When I felt the pre-cum at his tip, I smeared it over him so I could glide up and down him more smoothly.

It was interesting...not being able to see what I was doing.  The absence of visual cues sharpened my other senses.  Any adjustments, slight changes, or additional actions I took were all based on other, more subtle impressions - how he felt against my skin, his body’s reactions to my touch, a slight change in his breathing.  

I started leaving soft, wet kisses in between his shoulder blades, because why not add “taste” into the sensory mix?  

His body tensed for a few seconds and I could hear him take in a quick breath. He suddenly pulled my hand off of him, and in the same motion, he rolled over on top of me, nudging my legs open.  

“I - I...I juss...wanna fuck,” he drowsily blinked down at me.  His voice came out sounding low and gravelly with sleep, and it was so stupid-sexy.

“Yeah,” I whispered as I opened my legs wider.

He didn’t wait - there was no pause, no making sure I was ready.  He positioned himself, and then drove into me hard with no warning.  

I gasped, feeling the burn when he slammed into me, but I readily took him in, meeting his hips with mine on each hard thrust.  I wanted it as much as he did. The brief discomfort soon became the sweetest ache, and quickly spread through me.  My body was thrumming, and a small knot of heat formed in my belly, already pulsing, reaching outward.

“More,” I demanded.

With a look of focused resolve, he took each of my legs and placed them over his shoulders.  He leaned further into me, bending me in half so that my knees were touching my boobs.  We were forehead to forehead.  The new position caused me to tighten around him, to the point that we both groaned at the mind-blowingly exquisite sensations it caused.

He pulled back, and then slowly pushed into me again, grunting at the tightness.  “God, you feel good.”

His thrusting slowed at first, whether from want or necessity or a little of both...I’m not sure, but I really didn’t care.  I felt every inch of him - every single ridge, every detail - slowly sinking into me, stretching me, and then pulling back, so slowly, tortuously, over and over.  My legs tensed and my toes curled and everything felt slick, and smooth, and stretched, and tight.

Because I was literally bent in half, with my legs and hips lifted up off bed, I couldn't really thrust back into him - I had nothing to push off of.  So he was doing all the work.  But I could still clench my muscles around his cock, and he definitely noticed that, judging by the sounds and words spilling from him.

“...fucking tight...so good...again...hnhh...love fucking you...” He groaned loudly on every deep stroke.  

So did I.

After a minute, his slow, deliberate fucks into me became faster and less controlled.  His eyes were closed - not in concentration any more, though, but in complete abandonment.  He let his body take over.  His eyelids fluttered, his nostrils flared, and his mouth was opened very slightly.  His breath was warm and soft over my face.

He opened his eyes and looked down at me.  I silently stared right back.  By then he was fucking me so hard and fast and all of the feelings and sensations were whirling together in a kind of storm cloud.  I couldn't form complete thoughts.  It was like everything I felt was only being partially processed, and it all poured out of me as garbled word-vomit.

“ohmygod...so much...god...so good...unnhhh…you...”

He repeatedly drove into me, each thrust hitting me with such force that my entire body was throbbing.  The ball of fire that had started in my belly had become so great and so intense that I was a little hesitant to let go.  It was almost too much.

I finally did, though.  

I was blissfully warm and weightless for a few seconds.  I could hear nothing, and all I saw was his face as he came, too.  His eyes were squeezed shut and his mouth was opened.  He breathed out small, quiet gasps as he released.

Once we’d both finished, he settled his eyes on my face and smiled a sleepy, satisfied smile, mirroring my own.  He lifted himself off of me and gently brought my legs back down to the bed.  He wrapped me in his arms, and we laid together, still coming down.  Everything felt warm and tingly and loving and safe, and we were soon both drifting off again.

 But, damn, I’d been well and truly fucked.

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 The next day Ed and I stopped at the grocery store on the way back to my house to pick up a few things for dinner.  I thought we could all make pizzas together - a pizza bar might be fun.  We all like pizza.  And also, it would give us something to do while Ed and the kids got to know each other, and maybe it would help bring any potential awkwardness to a minimum.  And also maybe it was my potential awkwardness I was most concerned about.

I was still nervous-as-hell about them meeting.

 So, after a late-morning brunch in the hotel, we did our shopping, and got to the house a little after 1 pm.  We had a few hours to kill before the kids got home.  We hadn’t really talked about our upcoming trip to LA, yet, so, it was a good time to sit down and plan it out together.

I bought my laptop out so I could access my calendar, and so that we could search for any pertinent information we might need.  We sat together on the sofa to make our plans.

We’d be flying out of Chicago on the following Wednesday.  Ed mentioned that he’d been thinking about not going directly to LA, though, and wondered if I’d like a little mini-vacay, first, before all the insanity of LA and the Grammys.

Hell, yes?!?!?

I thought that sounded pretty fantastic.

“So, where would we go?”

“Well,” he answered, “I thought maybe we could fly into San Diego instead of LA, and then maybe head down to Baja.  There’s a village called Valle de Guadalupe.  It’s very small, and pretty, and has a lot of wineries nearby.  I thought it sounded like a place you’d like.”

He looked at me a somewhat quizzically, as if he didn’t know how I’d react to him having thought this through already.  

“May I?” he asked, reaching for my laptop.

I nodded, and couldn’t help the soft smile forming across my face.

“Baja California...so, Mexico?”

“Yeah…” he glanced up and smiled at me briefly before focusing on the screen, searching for what I assumed to be information about this place he had in mind.

“Here.”

I leaned in to see.  He’d pulled up a page about Valle de Guadalupe which highlighted its numerous wineries, award-winning restaurants, nearby attractions, and quaint accommodations.  I’d never even heard of it before, but it seemed like a place I’d really like.

“This looks awesome.  Have you been there before?”

“No.  My friend visited there last year on holiday with her husband.  She said it’s really nice...quiet and romantic.  I thought it might be good to relax there for a few days before heading to LA.”

I tilted my head as I grinned.  “I love that idea.  Thank-you!”

 We planned for three nights in Valle de Guadalupe, and then we would head up to LA on Saturday, the day before Valentine’s Day.  His parents would be there, along with his cousin and his manager.  We were all to have dinner together that night.  The next day would be Valentine’s Day.  We had nothing scheduled yet in the earlier part of the day, but would have a nice dinner, just the two of us, that evening.  The Grammys were to be the following night - Monday.  Ed did not plan to walk the red carpet, which was completely fine with me.  He’d also not planned on attending any of the after-parties (also fine with me), but instead wanted to be with family - hopefully to celebrate.  We’d fly back to Chicago together Tuesday afternoon.

Holy shit.  I’m going to meet his family.

“Have you told your family about me?”

“Yeah.”  One corner of his lip curved up as he continued.  “They knew I came here at New Years to, um, see a girl, but I hadn’t said anything much at that point about you.  It was all too new to really know yet, right?”

I nodded, understanding.

“But after I got back home I told them about you - all about you - and that I’m crazy about you, and how amazing you are.”  He smiled at me as he said it.

“Do they know...I mean, did you tell them I’m...older?  And everything else?���

“Yeah.  Well, you mean about the kids, right?  And...Jason?”

I nodded.

“Yeah, they know.”

I nodded again.  “OK.”

“Oh, shit - should I not have said anything?”

“No, no, that’s fine.  I just…”

He placed the laptop on the coffee table in front of us and turned his whole body to face mine.

“What is it?”

I shook my head.  “Oh, it's just me being insecure.  It’s nothing, really.”  I tried to play it off as no big deal, but he knew better.

“Tell me.”  His huge, bluest-of-blue eyes were boring into mine, full of concern.

“OK.  I just...sometimes worry that people might think I’m using you...might...question my motives for being with you.”

I too a breath before continuing.

“We've never discussed...money.  But I want you to know that the kids and I - we’re in a good place, financially.  We’re fine.  And I'd never use you.  You know that, right?”

“I know,” he nodded.  “You’ve literally never asked me for one thing.  But thank-you for telling me.”

He paused, looking at me curiously.  “So you worry that people will think you're with me for my money.”

“Well, yeah, kind of.  I don’t mean your fans...I don’t really care about that.  But your friends, your family...the people who love you...I do care what they think.  I guess I...just want them to like me.”

He took my hands and brought them to his lap.  “Hey.  I literally can't think of one reason why anyone wouldn't love you straightaway - you're warm and funny and charming, and genuine, and there's not a greedy or deceitful bone in your body.  And I'd hope they'd take their cues from me - I'm a pretty good judge of character.  But if someone actually does question your motives, though, well fuck them.  I know you.  I know your heart.  I trust you.  I love you.  End of story.”  He shrugged.  “If it makes you feel any better, they are happy that I'm happy, and they really want to meet you.”

He pursed his lips before adding, “Well, Matt won't be there, so you won't meet him, yet.  But that’s probably a good thing, because he's kind of an asshole.”

“Oh,” I frowned, a little overwhelmed by everything he'd said, and unsure if he was kidding about his brother or not.  “Really?”

He shook his head, grinning.  “No, not really.”  He quickly kissed my lips before adding, “But he can be quite direct, sometimes.  That’s off-putting to some people, but it's just how he is.”

We shared another short but sweet kiss.

“It’ll be fine.  They're all very nice, decent people.  I promise.  They'll love you.”

“OK,” I nodded, rolling my eyes at myself and feeling a little foolish.  “Sorry.”

He shook his head.  “Nothin’ to be sorry about.  I reckon it shows you care, is all, and I love that.”

Oh my goodness, I love this guy so much.  he’s so smart, and he really understands me, and he has such a mature outlook about-

“Oh!  Hey - don’t forget to pack all the sex toys I sent you - we’ll be using the fuck out of them!”

 Ladies and gentlemen...the man I love.  LOL.

 Mom brought the kiddos back at exactly 3:00.  Ed waited in the living room, watching alpine skiing on ABC’s Wide World of Sports (of all things!), while I met them at the back door.  All three of them were looking at me extremely expectantly.

“Hey, guys-”

“-Is he here???” Lucy excitedly loud-whispered at me while both my mom and Nathan watched me like a hawk for my answer.

I glanced at the kids, and then my mom, holding in my laughter.

“Is who here?”

My mom just leaned back and crossed her arms at me, shaking her head, grinning.  She was just behind Nate and Lucy, so they couldn’t see her reaction.  Nate looked at me like I had to be the dumbest person on Earth, and Lucy’s face went from devastation to utter annoyance within seconds.

“C’mon, Mom,” grumbled Nate.

“You know...HIM!” Lucy whisper-squeaked.

“Why don’t you come in, guys.  Mom?  You coming in?”

“MOM!”

“Honey, you’d better answer them before there’s mutiny.  And, no.  I’m not staying this time.  I don’t want to overwhelm your friend - meeting these two will be plenty for one day, I think.  We’ll plan for a different time, OK?”

“OK,” I nodded.  “And you two - inside, shoes off, unpack your bags, and dirty laundry in the hamper.  Oh.  And, yes.  Ed’s here.  So come back downstairs when you’re done - we’ll be in the living room.”  

I received two very exasperated looks, but I thought that giving them something to do first might help with nerves (theirs?  mine?).  They ducked past me and headed right up the stairs to their respective rooms, hopefully to do what I’d told them.

Once they were out of sight I let out a breath and gave my mom a wide-eyed “oh shit!” look.

“I think they’ll be fine, honey.  They seem pretty curious about him.”

“Well...in a good way, though?  Did they say anything?”

“Kate, it’s going to be fine.  They like seeing you happy, and you’ve been happy since you met him.  That’s what they told me about him.  Well, that, and Lucy went on and on about his music and hair and tattoos.”  Mom grinned at me.  

“I do think maybe some reassurances should be made that they will always be your number one priority...but you can do that privately, later.  They didn’t say anything about that to me - I just think it’s a good idea.”

“Oh, god, yeah.  That’s...you’re right - that is a really good idea.”

Why the fuck hadn’t I thought of that?  Worst Mom Ever = Me.

“Alright, then.  I have to go now.  You enjoy yourselves tonight.  I hope you’re doing something fun?”

“Yeah.  We’re making our own pizzas.  And then...we’ll eat them.”

Oh, god, that sounds lame.

“That sounds perfect.  Now go back to your friend.  He’s probably getting anxious just sitting by himself.”

My “friend”...

She slipped her gloves back on, and then gave me a huge hug and kiss on the cheek before she turned to leave the house.

“Thanks, Mom.”

“Of course, Katie.  Love you.”

“Love you, too!  Bye!” I called as she walked back to her car.

 I took one calming breath and walked back to the living room, where Ed was still watching skiing.  He had one leg tucked under the other, and was bouncing his heel on the floor restlessly.  So maybe he was a little anxious about meeting them, after all.

He looked up at me curiously.

I sat next to him.  “They’re upstairs putting their overnight bags in order.  They should be down any minute.”

No sooner had I finished the sentence then they both came down the stairs - not in their usual stomping/running manner, but together, walking, kind of slowly.  It was very unlike them.

I lifted my brows in surprise.  “They’re so quiet - I think they’re on their best behavior for you,” I murmured softly to Ed.

He glanced back at me, smirking in a wide-eyed, surprised sort of way.

I grinned back at him just as they turned the corner into the living room.

Ed and I both stood as Nate and Lucy stopped.  We all just stared at each other, everyone unsure of what to do next for a few excruciating seconds.

I finally got a hold of myself and waved them both over to me.  “C’mere, you guys.”  They seemed relieved to know what to do, and came right over - one on each side of me.  I put my arms around each of them, and shifted us all just a little to the right so we were facing Ed.

“So...Ed, these are my children, Nathan and Lucy.”  I hugged them both close to me.  

It was the last thing I expected, but as soon as I held them, I felt each of their hands at my back, supporting me.  Lucy rubbed small circles between my shoulder blades while Nathan held me around my waist, almost protectively.  I think it was their way of telling me that they knew I was nervous, and they knew this was uncharted territory for us, but it was going to be OK.  I don’t think it was anything they’d planned to do.  Maybe it was another example of twins being of the same mind, and I happened to be lucky enough to be a part of it.  But it was a moment where we all connected in a way that I’d rarely felt before.  

I mentally pulled myself together to complete the introduction.  “Lucy, Nate...this is Ed.”

Ed looked at me for maybe a beat longer than he needed to.  I think he knew I was suddenly feeling emotional about something.  But then he looked directly at Lucy first, and then at Nathan.

“Hello.  It’s so good to finally meet both you in person,” he smiled.

Lucy grinned and nodded, shyly answering, “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

Nate looked Ed straight in the eye, nodded twice, smiled, and sincerely replied, “Nice to meet you.”  It was so adult-like.

Umm, when did my 10 year-old son - my youngest (OK, only by 2 minutes but still!) - suddenly become so grown up???

I’m sure I had a slightly surprised expression on my face.  I saw Ed briefly glance at me, so he probably saw it and knew I was at least somewhat taken aback at Nathan’s very heartfelt, yet protective demeanor.

“Well, why don’t we sit down?” I suggested.

Ed sat back down on the sofa where he had been before, and I sat on the loveseat, perpendicular to the sofa.  But we were both on the ends, so were still very near each other.  Nate sat next to me, and Lucy sat on the sofa next to Ed.  She turned herself so she was sideways and facing him, slightly wide-eyed.

Nate glanced at the TV.  “Skiing?” he asked curiously.

Ed shrugged.  “Yeah.  Not much else on.”

Nate nodded, tuning in.  “Do you ski?”  He glanced over at Ed.

“Uh, I have only a couple of times.  Have you ever?”

“Yeah.  My mom and dad took us skiing in New Mexico and Colorado a bunch of times.  My dad was a really good skier.”

Ohhhhhh, god...

“Oh, that’s awesome.  I’ve heard the skiing is really good in Colorado.  I’ve never skied in the US, though.”

“Yeah, I guess.  Lucy is better at it than I am.”

Ed turned to Lucy.  “Yeah?  You like to ski?”

She looked happy to be joining in the conversation.  “Yeah, it’s a lot of fun.  Do you like it?”

“It’s alright, but I’m not very good at it.  I bet you’re a good skier.”

Lucy is actually a natural on skis, but she was being a little bashful.  “I don’t know...I’m OK, I guess…”

Nathan shook his head.  “Lu, you’re like, really good.”  He then turned to Ed.  “She even did a black diamond run in Taos, and my parents almost killed her when she finished.”

I nodded.  “Lucy’s a good skier.  But she shouldn’t have been on that slope.”

“But I was fine!”

“You were 8,” I pointed out.

“You’re a daredevil, then?” Ed asked Lucy.

“Um, I just love how it feels to go so fast - it’s like flying.  It’s awesome.”

Ed gave me a very quick, odd look, and then looked back at Lucy, grinning. “Your mum said almost the exact same thing to me when she was talking about gymnastics.”  Glancing back at me, he softly asked,  “Like mother, like daughter, hmm?”

“You have no idea,” I uttered quietly.

“I just stay on the blues,” Nate added.

“Are those the intermediate runs?” Ed asked.

Nate nodded.

“Ah.  In Europe the intermediate slopes are reds.  But I’ve only been twice, so I kept to the easy slopes.”

Skiing.  We’re talking about skiing?  Of all the random topics… Well, at least we’re talking, I guess…

 Conversation started to flow a little more smoothly from that point on, moving from skiing to Nintendo to drawing to Pokemon, and finally to the Superbowl, which was to be the following day, actually.  Nathan loves football, and was really pumped up about watching the Superbowl - he’s a huge Denver Broncos fan (sorry Bears), and they were favored to win.  Ed, on the other hand, doesn’t get the hype at all, and is irked by the very name (“Why do they call it ‘football’ when they don’t even use their feet?”).  But, to his credit, he seemed genuinely interested in everything Nate was saying.  Football was a love that Nate had shared with Jason, and I know that bond is one of the many things he misses.

Ed mentioned that he had actually seen a few “American” football games (as he calls them), and had just explained that he thinks it is very similar to rugby.  The comparison was lost on the rest of us, though, as we’d never seen a rugby match.

“Hey, Mom?  We should all watch the Superbowl together, like have a Superbowl party.”  Nate was looking very hopefully at me.

“Oh - you mean here?”

He nodded.  Lucy was following our dialogue closely.  Ed just watched me with a small grin, clearly wondering where this would lead.

“Well…”

“Yeah, and you could come, right?” Lucy asked Ed.

“Oh, I’m definitely in,” he answered her.

I glanced at Nate to gauge his reaction to that.  He was nodding his head - a good sign.

“Hmm.  We might be able to do that.  OK...I’ll invite Izzy and Jen, too, if that’s alright with everyone?  It’s last-minute, so they probably already have plans...but I’d like to try…”

I was met with various head-bobs and “yeahs” and “that’s fines”.

“OK.  Well, wait.  What time does it start?”

Nathan answered me.  “Kick-off is at 5:30, but the pre-game show is on before that.”

“OK, so dinner-time, then.  Who’s doing the halftime show, I wonder?”

“Mom!  It’s Coldplay, Beyonce, and Bruno Mars!”  The halftime show is the part of the Superbowl broadcast that Lucy enjoys the most.  Personally, I’m in it for the commercials.

“Really?!” Ed cut in.

Our heads all whipped toward him, then.

His eyes grew wide when he realized we were all looking at him.  

“What is it?” I asked him.

Lucy’s jaw dropped.  “You know them, don’t you?”

He shrugged and grinned modestly as he quietly answered, “Um, yeah...”

Lucy was looking at him as if she just remembered who he is, which may have been the case, actually.  “Wow,” she whispered.

“Alright, I’m going to call Jen and Izzy now.  Be back in a few.”  More head-bobs were directed my way as I walked toward the kitchen to make the call.  I could still see the living room from the archway between the dining room and the kitchen, and I stood there for a minute, just observing the scene.  I saw that Nate scooted over and took my spot on the loveseat, putting him closer to Ed and Lucy on the sofa.  They were all involved in some conversation which I couldn’t make out.  All three of them seemed comfortable and engaged.

So far so good.

 Both Jen and Izzy were scheduled to work until 5 pm the next day, and had planned on a somewhat quiet evening watching the game with their significant others at home.  So instead, they, along with Keith and Adam, would come to our house.  They’d probably miss the first quarter, though, since they both had to stop home after work first.  We decided on doing a potluck dinner.  I’d set up a taco bar (I’m all about the food bars, apparently), Jen and Izzy would bring the side dishes, and their boyfriends would be in charge of dessert.  Ed and I could work out the snacks and beverages.

 I finished my call, and as I was coming back into the living room I heard Nathan ask Ed, “What should we call you?”

“Oh.  I guess just call me ‘Ed’,” he said matter-of-factly.  He nodded once at Nate, then glanced at Lucy, who nodded back at him in reply.

He looked back at Nate.  “What about you?  Do you prefer ‘Nate’ or ‘Nathan’?”

“Umm, either one is fine.  I like ‘em both.”

“I use them both interchangeably,” I added as I entered the room.

“Is ‘Lucy’ a nickname for ‘Lucille’, then?”

“No.  My real name is ‘Lucia’ (a/n:  pronounced Loo-SEE-uh).  But everyone calls me ‘Lucy’.  Or ‘Lu’.  But usually ‘Lucy’.”

“Cool.  And which one of you is older?”

“Me!” Lucy quickly replied.

“Just by two minutes, though...and I’m bigger,” Nate smirked.

“Whatever,” muttered Lucy, rolling her eyes.

“OK - party’s on tomorrow!  Jen and Izzy will be bringing Keith and Adam.  But they’re coming after work, so they’ll miss the beginning of the game.  It’ll be a potluck.  I’m making tacos.  Sound good?”

Everyone was smiling and seemed happy.  And I was, too.

 The pizza bar was a success.  I put out pre-made mini pizza crusts, sauce, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, sausage, mozzarella and asiago cheeses, onions, pineapple, green peppers, mushrooms, and bacon.

We all built our own personal pizzas together, around the kitchen island.  Nathan piled way too much cheese and bacon on his.  Lucy made a smiley face of pepperoni on hers.  Ed was very particular about his Canadian bacon and pineapple placement on the Hawaiian pizza he made.  I just put light sauce, extra cheese, and a smattering of onions and peppers on mine.  

Neither the kids nor I had ever tried Hawaiian pizza before.  I only bought the toppings for it because Ed suggested them when we were at the grocery store earlier that day.  Honestly, I thought that pineapple on pizza sounded pretty disgusting.  The kids were both slightly alarmed by it, too.  Living so close to Chicago, we consider ourselves experts when it comes to pizza.  We know pizza.  We did not know about this pineapple business.

“Is that what pizza is like in England?” Lucy watched Ed’s meticulous placement of the Canadian bacon and pineapple in horrified fascination.

“What?  You don’t have Hawaiian pizza here?”

I answered, “I’m sure you can get it from the chain pizza places like Domino’s or Papa John’s,  but I don’t know anyone who actually has.  I think Chicagoans tend to be pretty traditional about their pizza toppings.”

“Well, you all don’t know what you’re missing, then.  Done!”  He’d finally placed the last topping bit of his ridiculously symmetrical pattern of pineapple and meat on his pizza.  

Since they were personal-sized, they all fit in the oven at once.  I just had to switch what shelves they were on half-way through the baking process so the ones on the bottom wouldn’t scorch.  Within 15 minutes we were sitting down, enjoying our pizzas, along with salad and garlic bread.

Dinner conversation flowed easily, revolving around favorite foods, embarrassing moments, and pets.  Ed is a really great conversationalist - he’s engaging and animated, and draws you in.  The kids were both taken with him.

 “You have no pets.  Why don’t you have any pets?”

He honestly looked slightly scandalized by the idea of anyone not sharing his or her home with some sort of four-legged, furry animal or two.

Lucy answered the question.  “We used to have a dog, Bear.  But he was old and had hip dys...dyspa...what is it, Mom?”

“Hip dysplasia.”

“Yeah, that.  It got really bad and we had to put him down a few years ago.”

“Ohhhh.  I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“He was awesome.  He was a black lab/German shepherd mix - really smart...and funny, too,” Nate recalled.

“I loved that dog,” I smiled.  “He was my first baby.”

“You didn’t want to get another one?”

“Well, not right away.  We planned on getting a new dog last year...but then, well…” I met Ed’s eyes and then shrugged.

“Yeah,” he softly acknowledged.

If it was possible to comfort someone with only a look, then that’s exactly what he did.  We only kept eye contact for a couple of seconds, but I felt it just as I would have if he’d held me in his arms.

I’m pretty sure the kids noticed it, but I think that’s fine - a good thing, actually.

Ed broke the momentarily silence, picking up right where we’d left off.  “I’ve never had a dog.  We always had cats when I was growing up.”

Lucy’s entire demeanor perked up at the mention of cats.  The child has wanted a cat since she’s known what cats are.  Jason was allergic to them, though, so that had never happened.

“You like cats?” she asked.

“I love cats!”

Nathan and I glanced at each other and he rolled his eyes.  I bit my lip to keep from laughing.

“Mom, we should get a cat!”

I turned to Ed with a tight-lipped smile.

“I have to agree with Lucy.  You should get a cat.  Or two, even.”

“Oh, two cats, now?  You’re ganging-up on me, here!”

Nate, meanwhile, looked completely amused at the conversation.

“Do you have any opinions about this, Nate?”

“Me?”  He shrugged, slightly grinning.  “Cats are cool.”

“I see.  A cat -”

“Or two!” Lucy interrupted.

I looked at the three of them, all smiling at me.  “I feel like I’ve been tricked into something here, even though I’ve agreed to nothing!”

“You mean we’re getting a cat?” Nate asked.

“Or two…” Ed very unhelpfully added.

Lucy was smiling from ear-to-ear.

I grinned ruefully, shaking my head, knowing I’d been had, but still unwilling to admit it.

“We’ll see.”

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 Sunday, February 7, 2016 - evening

 It was halftime, and the Broncos were up 13-7.  Nathan was very well-pleased, as was Adam.  Both Jen and Keith were rooting for the Panthers.  The rest of us were neutral.  

We’d all been gathered in the family room in the basement, stuffing our faces throughout the first half, and thoroughly enjoying all of the potluck dishes.  Izzy brought her mom’s famous (in our circle, at least) Mexican chicken salad, and Jen brought a white cheddar baked corn casserole.  Adam and Keith chose to not stick with the Mexican theme for dessert, and picked up an apple pie, some brownies, and some chocolate chip cookies - all bakery-made.  Ed and I supplied the main course - the tacos, as well as all of the chips and salsa, guacamole, and the beverages.

 Jen and Izzy helped me with clean-up while everyone else gathered around to watch the halftime show.  The guys had all offered to help as well, but we declined.  I think the three of us really just wanted some time to ourselves for some girl-talk.

We caught each other up on our lives as we cleaned and de-cluttered.  We hadn’t had a lot of opportunity to see or talk to each other since the holidays.  

Jen and Keith had begun seeing each other exclusively soon after their very successful first date at the New Year’s Eve party we were all at.  She was really happy.

“What does he do, Jen?” I asked.

“He’s a special ed teacher.  And he coaches track, too.”

“Oh, wow.  Where at?”

“Umm, he’s in the city - Bowen High School - on the south side.”

“Very cool, “ I nodded.

“You know, he is also a ‘younger man’,” Izzy shared.

“Yeah?”  I rolled my eyes at her before shifting my gaze to Jen.

She nodded.  “Yeah.  He’s 29.”

“Oh, well that’s what?  A five year difference?  You guys have nothin’ on us.” I grinned and shook my head.

“How old is he, again, Katie?”

“Umm, he’ll be 25 in like...10 days.”

We were in the kitchen, and I’d been scraping food off of a baking dish, but looked up when the room had suddenly gone quiet.  Jen and Izzy were both looking at me with the funniest expressions on their faces.

“What?”

Izzy’s grin was so huge she was practically leering at me.  “So, how’s that going for you?”

I felt my face reddening, but I also couldn’t stop a somewhat cocky grin from forming, either.

“It’s...good.  Yeah.  I have no complaints.”  I looked down, still smiling, focusing again on scraping the baked-in taco meat from the dish in my hands.

 The game ended a little after 9 pm, and the Broncos won 24-10.  The commercials were fun, as usual, and the halftime show was a phenomenal display of music and color and love.  Personally, I’m not a huge football fan, so I was a little bored with the actual game.  The company was what it was all about, for me.  With the exception of my parents and my brother and his family, I was surrounded by the most important people in my life - the people I love.  And I was really, really happy.

 The kids were in bed by 9:30, but the grown-ups weren’t ready to end the evening, yet.  We still had plenty of snacks to munch on, as well as plenty of beverages to imbibe.  Someone mentioned Cards Against Humanity.  Soon, we were all gathered around the coffee table, fresh drinks at hand and game cards scattered all around us.  We spent the next 90 minutes laughing harder than I can remember having ever laughed before.  

The collective favorite winning card combo of the night, below:

 I bet you can guess whose it was.  :-)

 (A/N - if you’ve never played Cards Against Humanity, YOU MUST GO PLAY IT - while drinking, preferably.  :-)  Hands-down, the hardest I’ve ever laughed IN MY LIFE was while playing this game.  GO PLAY THIS GAME!)

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“I want you to stayyyy.  But...that would be...not the smart thing...to do.”  I patted his chest emphatically as I spoke.  And also I was impressed with myself for getting all of my words out somewhat correctly and coherently.

We sat together on the sofa in the basement family room, slouching and leaning against each other.  His rested a hand on the inside of my thigh.  I rested mine over his adorable, soft belly.  My other guests had left just a few minutes earlier.  It was after midnight.  We were both quite plastered.

“Mmmmmm...” he kind of softly moan-growled.  “I know!  Why do I have to leave, again?”

“Because we shouldn’t have sex with the kids here!”  I whispered loudly, gently patting his belly this time in emphasis.  

“Oh, yeah…”

We looked at each other, very drunk and wide-eyed and, fell into fits of giggles.

Eventually, we stopped laughing, and he sighed and turned to me.  “I don’t want to sleep alone tonight.  I will, ‘cause I want to do the right thing.  But I might pout a little bit over it.”

“I know.  Me, too.  I just...you understand though, right?  It’s...it’s too soon.  For them.  I don’t...I...there’s no way they are ready to see you here in the morning.  They’re young but they’re not that young and they’d know, and I just can’t ask them to accept that yet.  It doesn’t seem right to me. Oh god, you understand, right?  Fuck.  I’m too drunk to get...words out right…”

I looked over at him, slightly embarrassed, and wondering if he had any idea what I was trying to say.

“You want to give them some time to get used to the idea of you - of us - dating, yeah?”

I nodded.

“Before we parade our love life in their faces?” He was smiling at me as he spoke.

“Yeah, I guess that’s...that’s actually exactly it.”

He tilted his head to the side as he pushed a bit of hair behind my ear.  His expression softened as he looked at me.  “You’re a really, really good mum.”

My first thought was to deflect his kind words, but I didn’t.  He seemed to be putting thought into what he was saying - it wasn’t just a nice, empty compliment, given only to make me feel good about myself.

“You really think so, don’t you?  You’re not just saying that.”

“Well, I’ve spent some time here with you all over the last few days, and I’ve seen how you are with each other.  The way all three of you balance love, respect and...humor...it’s, well, it’s really beautiful.”

I suddenly felt a lot less drunk, and he seemed less drunk, too.  Or maybe he was just still able to be eloquent despite being intoxicated.  I wouldn’t put it past him.  

He’d been paying attention to us - to the kids and to me, and how we interact and connect with each other.  He saw right into our hearts, and his impromptu assessment of us was spot on.

“How do you do that?” My voice came out as a whisper.

“Do what?” he murmured.

“How could you have seen that?  It’s like...you know what’s in my heart.  And theirs, too.”

”Kate, that’s all from you and Nate and Lucy.  That’s what the three of you put out there.  I’m pretty sure anyone who knows you or has seen the three of you together for any decent length of time has seen the same thing.  And...I think I do know your heart.”

I turned in a little bit towards him and hugged him tightly, resting my head in the crook of his neck.  “Thank-you.”

He turned to me and placed many short, sweet kisses on my temple.  It was probably all he could reach due to the way we were leaning into each other.  

“Can you lift up your head, please?”

“Whyyyyy?  This is so nice.”

“Because I’d like to kiss you properly.”

“Oh,” I grinned.  I raised my head up off of his shoulder, turned myself to face him, and wrapped my arms around his neck.

“I suppose,” I whispered just before he leaned in and attached his lips to mine.

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Tuesday, February 9, 2016

 Ed and I were to leave on our trip the following day, and we wanted all of us to have a nice dinner together before we left.  The kids finished their homework by 6:00, and we were out the door by 6:20.

I parked on the street a few doors down from the Fat Duck, a restaurant/pub in the next town over.  It’s a favorite of mine - I love the cozy atmosphere, and the food is fantastic.  We asked for a corner table, and were immediately seated.  The wide-screen TV’s placed all around the dining area were tuned into various sports events - mostly college basketball and the pre-game show for the Blackhawks vs the San Jose Sharks.  Since it was a weeknight in February, and still early in the hockey season, it wasn’t very crowded.  But the mood was cheery and welcoming.

We quickly ordered our beverages and some appetizers - the parmesan truffle fries are to die for.  We chatted as we studied the menus.  I learned that Ed is very suspicious of fish & chips outside of the UK - the Fat Duck is known locally for its fish & chips.  He passed on it, so I ordered it, instead.  Oh, well.  His loss. He ordered the pulled pork platter.  Nate got a huge bowl of homemade bacon mac-n-cheese (do you see a theme in his food choices?), and Lucy went with chicken quesadillas.

Lucy briefly glanced up at Ed from her plate at one point and asked, “Are you coming home with Mom after your trip?”  My back stiffened slightly in heightened attention at her seemingly innocent question.  She’s a girl who always chooses her words carefully.

‘...coming home with Mom…’ Not ‘coming here’ or ‘coming back’.  On the surface it appeared to be just a random word choice.  But I suspected it wasn’t.  I briefly glanced at both kids.  Seeing nothing but curiosity on their faces, I shifted my eyes to Ed, curious as to how he’d answer.

“Yeah,” he smiled.  “We’re flying back here together.  I’ll be around for a few days before I go back to London.”

“Cool,” Nate replied as both he and Lucy bobbed their heads in return.  “Are you going to stay at the hotel again?”

“Yep,” he answered without missing a beat, nodding, meeting first Nate’s and then Lucy’s eyes.  Then he stuffed a forkful of pulled pork into his mouth.

 The rest of dinner was completely enjoyable.  Lucy entertained us with a story about her Math teacher.  Apparently, that morning another student had stored his backpack on the floor under his desk, but the shoulder strap was hanging out into the aisle.  Miss Detty didn’t see the strap as she walked down the aisle.  You can probably guess what happened - Miss Detty landed on her bottom on said backpack.  Luckily, she only injured her pride a little bit.  

“It was so hard not to laugh!  But we thought she’d get mad, and we, like, didn’t know if she was hurt?  But then - she was still on the floor - and she said, ‘I’m OK.  You can laugh.’  And we all started laughing, but then she pointed to Joseph - it was his backpack - and she said, ‘but not you!  You can’t laugh!’  It was so funny!”

We all then shared crazy school stories.  Nate told us how his friend Omar took off his shoes and socks in the middle of Science and propped his bare feet up on his desk, crossed at his ankles.  Mrs. DiPisa was not amused, but the rest of the class was.  I told them about the boy in my 8th grade class who jumped out of the classroom window, but then when he tried to come back in the main entrance, he found the door to be locked.  He had to ring the bell and explain to the office why he was outside.  Our teacher somehow never knew he was gone until the principal walked him back to class.  Ed’s story was actually his Great-Uncle’s story - something he had done in school many, many years ago.  Great-Uncle Tom had attended a Catholic primary school in Ireland in the 1940’s.  He was apparently a very naughty child.

“He was in the 4th class, and his teacher was a nun - Sister Scholastica.  What a name, right?   He described her as being tall and old and very mean.  He said they couldn’t see her hair because it was tucked into the...what’s the thing on a nun’s head - the veil?  So the rumor was that she was bald, too.”

Lucy and Nathan were already completely drawn into Ed’s story.  Honestly, so was I.

“So, one afternoon just after lunch, my Great-Uncle Tom was sat at his desk, twisted around, trying to get the attention of his mate who sat a few seats behind him, in the same row.  He whistled very loudly to get his friend to look up.  For some reason, Sr.  Scholastica though it was his mate who whistled.  She came storming down the aisle toward poor Davey, waving her ruler in the air, prepared to smack him across his hands with it.  She was really angry.  My great-uncle swears on the bible that he doesn’t know what possessed him to do it, but he stuck out his foot.  The nun never saw it.  She tripped and fell forward, flat on the floor.

“Ohhhhhhhh…” groaned Nate.  Lucy was quiet, but wide-eyed.

“But that wasn’t the worst of it.  Her chin hit the floor, and then her false teeth shot right out of her mouth and slid the rest of the way down the aisle, stopping right next to poor Davey’s desk!”

“Nooooo!  Are you kidding me?”  Lucy squeaked out.

“It’s a true story, as far as I know.”

“Oh, man.  He must have got in HUGE trouble for that,” Nate mused.

“Yeah.  He got kicked out of school.”

“Whoa.  That’s crazy!”  Lucy glanced over at Nate and he nodded in agreement.

“Yeah,” Ed went on.  “I have a lot of characters in my family.’

“Good to know,” I grinned.

 “When do you leave tomorrow?  What time?”  Nate loudly slurped up the last of his lemonade through his straw as he waited for my answer.

I gave him a little glare of reproof until he finished.  “Umm…” I glanced at Ed, trying to remember.  “We’ll leave for the airport around 11, I think?”  He nodded.  “So I’ll be home when you leave for school in the morning, but your grandparents will be there when you get home.”

“OK.”

“I’ll call you guys when we get in tomorrow, but it will probably be late - close to your bedtime.”

Nate nodded his head while Lucy gave Ed a curious look.

“So, we won’t see you again until after your trip, right?  Like, we won’t see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I guess this is it until we get back...that is, if you don’t mind me sticking around for a bit.”

Lucy smiled shyly.  “Sure.”

Ed’s eyes shifted from Lucy’s smiling face to Nathan’s thoughtful one, and he raised his brows questioningly.  

I think it occurred to Nathan at the same time as it did to me that Ed had essentially just asked them if it was OK if he and I continue to see each other.

Nate’s eyes grew fractionally larger, and a second later he nodded his head, grinning.  “I don’t mind.”

I silently let out my breath - I guess I’d been holding it - and discreetly placed my hand over Ed’s knee, giving it a few affectionate squeezes.  He turned to me and smiled.  I smiled right back, and didn’t care who saw.

 “That might have been the most subtle third-degree I’ve ever received.”

We were back at the house, and the kids were getting ready for bed.  Ed and I were downstairs in the family room, sprawled out on the sofa in front of the TV.  I’d just put on the 9:00 news on WGN.

“You mean when they asked if you were coming home with me or staying at the hotel after we get back?”  I rolled my eyes and shook my head.  

“Yeah.  Were they asking me what I think they were asking me?”

“I think so.”

“Wow.  That is some impressive, understated nuance.  You have clever communicators on your hands.”

“Yeah...they feed off of each other, too, so it’s really easy to feel ganged-up on by them - like they did with you.  You handled it perfectly, though.”

He shrugged and then gave me a curious look.  “But why…where did that come from?  Why are they thinking about that?”

“I think some of it is just due to their age - they’re entering Tweendom.  They’re curious and nosey, and with us going away together...they might be wondering about some things, you know?”

“Like our sleeping arrangements?”

“I guess...maybe.”

“Hmmm.  They don’t seem upset, though?”

I shook my head. “Nooo...they like you.  But they’re probably still unsure about some things, too.  Like...I want them to like you, obviously, but I don’t want them to feel guilty about liking you.  Do you know what I mean?”

He nodded.  “Do you feel guilty about liking me?”  He tried playing the question off almost as a joke, smiling shyly as he asked, but I answered him seriously.

“No.  I never have.  Really early on - like right after we met - I thought about that, and realized that there is nothing to feel guilty about.”  I let out a small breath.  “But, they’re 10, so...I don’t know if they feel the same way.”

 “Mom!  I’m going to bed!”  Nathan called down to me from the landing at the top of the stairs.

I looked over at Ed.  “Will you excuse me for a few minutes?”

“Mom!”

He raised his eyebrows and nodded his head.

“I’ll be right there, Nate.  Go on up.”

As I made my way upstairs I heard his feet pounding across the floor as he trotted back to his room.  

I assumed Lucy was just about ready for bed, as well.  I wanted to talk to both of them while I still had a chance.

 Lucy’s was the first room off the stairway, so it was the first room I peeked into.  She was in bed, but with her light on. She was reading a book.

“Hey.”

She looked up and smiled.

“I want to talk to you guys about a few things before you go to sleep.  OK if I call Nate in here?”

She looked curious as she nodded her head. I called out for Nate to come in for a minute.  He soon did and the three of us sat together on Lucy’s bed.  Each of us grabbed a pillow to put in our laps.  They both looked at me expectantly.

“So, I just wanted to make sure you’re both OK with all of this.  With Ed, I mean.”

Lucy tilted her head to the side, seeming to try and pull her thoughts together.  Nate looked directly at me, thoughtfully, as if he was considering his words - which is not usual for him.

“It’s OK to be completely honest.  I won’t get mad, no matter what you feel…and whatever is said stays here - I won’t repeat it to anyone.  Promise.”

Nate nodded thoughtfully.  “He...he’s OK.  Like, he’s chill - like a normal person.”

Like a normal person…I swallowed my grin at that comment, and waited for him to finish his thought.

He shrugged.  “Yeah, it’s fine with me, I think.”

“OK,” I nodded.  “How do you feel about me going away for a week?’

“I don’t mind,” he answered.  “You used to travel a lot for work, so-”

“But this time you’re going to something way better!” Lucy piped in.

“Yeah, I guess going to the Grammys would be more fun than sitting in a library in Salt Lake City transcribing documents, hmm?”

They both were grinning - genuine smiles.

“OK.  But seriously.  You’re doing alright with this?  Lu, what about you?”

“Well, It’s a little weird, I guess?  But he’s really nice.”

“Yeah, it’s kind of weird for me, too.”  I paused to gather my thoughts before continuing.  “You know you’re both the most important people in my life, and I absolutely don’t want to do anything to cause you to hurt.  You guys come first.  OK?”

Lucy glanced at Nathan as she spoke, and he nodded at her words. “OK.  We’re good, Mom.”

“Yeah?  You sure?”

They both nodded.

“OK.  I love you guys.”  I pulled Lucy’s head over to me and kissed the top of it before standing up.  

“It’s getting late.  Let’s go, Nate, into bed with you.”

He got up and headed out the door.  I paused before leaving Lucy’s room.

“Goodnight, pumpkin.  Love you.”

“Goodnight, Mom.  I love you, too.”

“You gonna read for a little bit?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright, but lights out in 15 minutes, got it?”

“Okayyyyy.”  I got an eyeroll with that, but I chose to ignore it.

“ ‘Night, sweetie.”

“ ‘Night, Mom.”

 Nate was already in bed, lights out, when I got there.

“You still awake?” I whispered.

“Yeah.”

“OK.  I’m just saying ‘goodnight’.”

“ ‘Night, Mom.”

“Goodnight, honey.  I love you.”  I ruffled his wavy locks, as I’d done every night of his life since he’s had enough hair to ruffle.

“Love you, too,” he murmured, rolling on his side.

I quietly shut his door and made my way back to the basement.

 “I don’t mean to brag...much...but those kids up there?  Are pretty amazing.”  I knew I was grinning from ear-to-ear, as I approached Ed on the sofa.  I sat next to him, and he pulled me into his side.

“Everything go alright, then?”

“Yeah.  Everything is...awesome.”  I smirked at him.

“You’re just not going to let it go, are you?”

“You just said ‘let it go’...like from Frozen.”  I couldn’t wipe the huge, stupid grin from my face.

“...fuck’s sake!” he laughed, running his hand through the hair at the back of his head.

”You quote children’s movies a lot?”  I may have snort-laughed, then.

“Umm...yeah?  You might not have noticed, because I’ve been on my best game for you, but I’m kind of a huge nerd.”

I grinned stupidly at him for several seconds, just relishing the joy I felt as it washed over me.

“I love you so much, you big nerd.”

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(Next Chapter)

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